How Leaders Can Create an Engaging Work Environment in 2021
According to multiple recent polls, American workers are considering new job options. Some polls show percentages as high as 40% of all workers planning to leave their jobs this year. While it’s great to see companies (and hiring) open back up again, this new reality is something for every manager to be aware of—and proactively planning for.
One of the most influential factors in employees’ work satisfaction is who they work for; meaning that leaders play a significant role in retaining your team members.
Here are three tips to help you do that in the post-pandemic work environment.
1. Create a Work Environment Where They Can Thrive
Ask your team members what their feelings are on returning to an office and how they would prefer to work. You can do this in a team meeting, one-on-ones, or a survey.
If you’re able to revamp your office set up, involve team members in providing feedback on what would be most ideal. Start rethinking your onboarding strategy, determining how you’ll make hybrid meetings and in-person events as inclusive as possible for those not there in person, writing down your unwritten rules, and intentionally creating a meaningful culture.
Be prepared that your decision about returning to an office can have significant consequences for your workforce. One poll showed 23% of new homeowners would quit their job before willingly returning to an office.
2. Conduct a Stay Conversation
A “stay” conversation is a dialogue about what an employee wants and needs from their manager and their role—and what would motivate them to stay with the organization. Though it’s a two-way conversation, a manager guides the employee to share feedback by asking specific open-ended questions. Your goal is to actively listen to what’s important to your employee and follow through on what you can, which, in turn, builds trust.
Though this conversation can happen at any time in an employee’s tenure (even on day one!), right now, you’re actively listening for what motivates them with the goal of retaining them. Some examples of questions include:
What motivates you to do this job?
What do you aspire to? How has this changed/evolved during the pandemic?
What activities bring you energy at work? What depletes your energy at work?
What new projects might you be interested in?
3. Connect Your Team to Their Purpose
Through your stay conversation, you’ll learn what is meaningful to your team members. Help them connect to their purpose and make progress in their work. Research shows progress is one of the biggest factors in how your team members feel about their jobs. (Think about it: You feel more productive when you move forward something that is important to you.)
This has a direct result on their motivation. As a leader, consider the role you play in creating a work environment that offers the ability to grow. Show your team members how to value progress, and not just outcomes, by recognizing and rewarding this. You can do this by sending a note or text, or making a call when they’ve made significant strides on a project, even if it’s not yet completed. Your outreach may be just what they need to refocus and recommit.
For most people, they’ve never worked through a time quite like this before. You can create a meaningfully engaged workforce by supporting your team members in being their best selves, showing them they’re valued in your organization, and helping them navigate their own professional growth. Here’s the thing: Even when you’ve made this commitment to invest so much of yourself into your team members, it’s possible they’ll still choose to move on to something new. You’ll know you’ve done all you can to create opportunities for them and take pride in playing a part in their career journey through these difficult times.